


Between two steps

by peskylilcritter



Series: pesky does nano prep [10]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-07
Updated: 2016-10-07
Packaged: 2018-08-19 23:42:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8228756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peskylilcritter/pseuds/peskylilcritter
Summary: Qui-Gon jumps off the ground on Tattooine and lands ten years in the future. Enter Knight Kenobi.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Yolande](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yolande/gifts).



> almost all of dookus lines are direct quotes from teh movie, along with several of obiwans.

Obi-Wan watches his master jump, feels something in the Force shift and...

Qui-Gon is gone as if he’d never been there at all.

***

The Force moves but Qui-Gon doesn’t have time to give it much thought because when he lands, the ramp isn’t there.

Instead, there's a great deal of red rock and a small ship. Qui-Gon lands hard, next to the ship and hasn’t even caught his balance when there’s a lightsaber at his throat.

He can’t move without risking decapitation but he can still talk. "What's your name?" That seems like a safe enough question. Figuring out where he is will have to wait until his life is no longer in danger.

"Turn toward me, slowly," the being says. Both accent and voice are familiar but no name comes to mind.

He does as told. The being is human, or so near as to be indistinguishable, male-presenting and approximately thirty. And, by the clothes and the lightsaber, probably a Jedi. The being is clearly skilled at keeping their true emotions from their expression but something about Qui-Gon has surprised them.

"I don't believe I know you, young Knight," Qui-Gon says, still careful of the lightsaber. The heat of it is disconcerting, so close to his skin.

"Who are you," the being says, absolutely toneless.

"My name is Qui-Gon Jinn. And since you seem unwilling to tell me your name, perhaps you could tell me where I am?"

The being opens their mouth to reply but the droids attack before they can get a word out.

***

Whatever Qui-Gon could have expected, to see Dooku walking in wasn’t on the list of possibilities.

He and the young Knight speak at the same time, Qui-Gon saying "Master?" while the Knight says, "Traitor."

Dooku sends Qui-Gon such a venomous glare that Qui-Gon wants to jerk back, and promptly ignores him to speak to the Knight.

Half of what he says is obvious lies and the Knight clearly knows it too but at least Qui-Gon finally learns where he is.

Geonosis. Qui-Gon has never been here before and he knows little of the planet or its people. But what is Dooku doing here?

And then Dooku says something that catches Qui-Gon's attention in a way nothing else could have.

"It's a great pity that our paths have never crossed before, Obi-Wan."

He's clearly not done speaking but- "Obi-Wan?" The familiarity of the Knight's voice and accent, the way he moved in combat, and now that Qui-Gon is looking, he can see the similarities in the Knights face, obscured by the beard. He wants to say this is impossible but the can already hear what Yoda would say about that and there was that strange shift in the Force, right before he landed here. He needs confirmation. "What year is it?"

They’re both staring at him now.

The Knight answers first, hesitation obvious.

Qui-Gon spits out a vicious curse. If this isn’t a hallucination, he's accidentally travelled ten years into the future. Which means...

"I left my Padawan behind on Tattooine. And Anakin, and the Queen." Oh, this is terrible. He needs to go back. The Council need to know about the Sith, his Padawan needs him and Anakin needs a guardian. Qui-Gon is needed and he's stuck in the future.

Obi-Wan (his Padawan, grown now and clearly a wonderful Knight) says, "Tattooine?"

"Yes, we had to make an emergency landing. Our hyperdrive was damaged-" Qui-Gon cuts himself off, shaking his head. "You're Obi-Wan Kenobi, aren't you? You should already know this."

"Well, I do, I am, but in my memory you never disappeared. And you certainly had no knowledge of the future," he adds, bitterly. "When exactly did you- travel?"

"Mid-jump. Just as we were leaving."

"No," Dooku interrupts whatever Obi-Wan was about to say. "Qui-Gon Jinn is dead. As he has been for ten years. I don't know what you are, but you cannot be him. Now be silent. I wish to speak with young Obi-Wan." He turns to Obi-Wan. "Let me tell you what i have learned. The Senate is under the control of a dark lord of the Sith."

"No, that's not possible," Obi-wan says. "The Jedi would be aware of it."

"The dark side of the Force has clouded their vision, my friend. Hundreds of Senators are now under the influence of a Sith lord called Darth Sidious."

The future is horrifying.

***

After Obi-Wan refuses Dooku's offer, they’re left alone.

Qui-Gon wants to speak but he can’t find the words. What would he say? Apparently he's been dead for ten years, Obi-Wan is a skilled Knight and Dooku is no longer a Jedi. And there may be a Sith Lord in the Senate. That wasn't a lie, as far as Qui-Gon can tell.

Eventually, Qui-Gon dozes off into uneasy dreams.

***

Public execution is not Qui-Gon’s idea of a good start to the day. The arrival of Queen Amidala and a young Padawan doesn’t make it any better. And then the Padawan calls Obi-Wan 'Master' and Qui-Gon’s world tilts on its axis once more. Unless this young man's Master died and Obi-Wan is serving as their replacement, Obi-Wan is far too young to have a Padawan that age. The boy must be at least seventeen.

"Good job," Obi-Wan tells his Padawan, in a tone that sounds like sarcasm and says he's sleep-deprived and stressed out and probably quite hungry and thirsty. (Qui-Gon is certainly all of these things. Dooku and the Geonosians don’t feed their captives.)

And then there’s no more time to think.

***

The droid are an extremely unpleasant surprise. And since no one brought a lightsaber for him, Qui-Gon picks up the first blaster he finds and starts shooting.

When the ships arrive to evacuate the Jedi, Qui-Gon stays with Obi-Wan. Of course, that means he gets to witness the confrontation with Dooku.

Force lightning. Sith hells, Dooku has gone farther down the dark path than Qui-Gon would ever have predicted.

Qui-Gon still doesn’t have a lightsaber (should have picked one up in the arena but. Well, he was busy.) and he can’t shoot Dooku without risking Obi-Wan.

Trying to get closer to get a better shot gets him intimately acquainted with Force lightning, and then the floor.

***

The fight doesn’t end well for anyone except Dooku, who gets away without so much as a scratch on him.

Obi-Wan and his Padawan (Anakin? how the hell can this be Anakin?) both require medical attention.

Qui-Gon needs a large glass of strong alcohol.

***

They keep him confined on the way back to Coruscant. He doesn’t mind. He has a bed, gets regular food and Obi-Wan comes to see him the moment medical lets him go. (Qui-Gon wonders if he snuck out before they cleared him. That seems like something his Padawan might do, given the chance.)

They talk, carefully dancing around the time between then and now, sore subjects and the minefield of their own emotions. Qui-Gon finds himself missing Obi-Wan even as he's looking at him, but this Obi-Wan is older, walking wounded and wary in a way his Padawan has never learned to be.

But some things haven’t changed and these are reassuring. Obi-Wan still makes terrible jokes and doesn’t care about his own safety as much as he should. He eats like he’s at a royal banquet no matter the circumstances and when he smiles, he is beautiful.

***

Qui-Gon steps through the door of the Council chamber and experiences a moment of extreme cognitive dissonance.

Every single member of the council is the same as they were in Qui-Gon’s time. Ten years should have changed at least some of them, right?

Except...

Obi-Wan and Anakin are no longer at his side.

No, Obi-Wan is there. His young Padawan is at his side, where he should be.

Obi-Wan looks shocked and so very young. The words slip out before he can think to stop them. "I have missed you, Obi-Wan." Then he turns to look at Yoda. "Masters, there is much I need to tell you."


End file.
